White Oak Pastures: Responsible Land and Animal Stewardship
Katie Wegner June 20, 2013
Will Harris, President of White Oak Pastures explains how the farm’s “back to nature” production system makes its meat and produce exceptional
Responsible stewardship is a characteristic that will always precede success, a principle the Harris family of White Oak Pastures has been embodying since 1866 when the family farm was first built by Captain James Edward Harris to raise stock. White Oak Pastures has been a family business for five generations, during which time the Harris family has expanded the farm to include cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, and a vegetable co-op. Will Harris and his two daughters are the latest in the Harris line to run the farm. Will took over the farm during the 80’s when farming methods had become extremely industrialized with a monoculture of cattle at the farm and he followed that model of conventional commodity cattle production until 1997. Harris decided to start running the farm in a more traditional manner that worked in tandem with the processes of nature.
“That’s when we started transitioning back to the farming model of my great-grandfather,” explains Will Harris, President of White Oak Pastures.
Transitioning the farm back has been a long but rewarding process as the White Oak Pastures farm has been rebuilt back to having multiple species of animals grazing on sweet grass free of pesticides and chemicals. White Oak Pastures is the only farm in the U.S. that has both red meat and poultry abattoirs, and these are located on the farm itself. These abattoirs are certified and inspected by the USDA as well as being Animal Welfare Approved.
Harris has done a great deal of research and work to ensure that all of the farm’s processes and facilities are humane and sustainable. White Oak Pastures meat is Certified Grass-Fed and Certified Humane Raised and Handled® by the Humane Farm Animal Care, Animal Welfare Approved, American Grassfed Association, and the Global Animal Partnership. The Global Animal Partnership rates White Oak Pastures cattle as being Step 4 and its chickens as being Step 5, a very high rating and the farm is USDA is certified organic.
Free-Range Livestock
For raising and feeding livestock, White Oak Pastures utilizes the Serengeti Plains Rotational Grazing Model, which allows all of the animals to be raised on open pastures feeding on organic sweet grass. The animals graze in three cycles, first with the cattle grazing on the land, then the sheep following after, and finally the poultry is sent to the land to graze.
“We think it is a great land management system because there are multiple species grazing the land and fertilizing the land in different ways. Also, having different species out there serves as a dead end street for parasites and pathogens which creates remarkably healthy land and animals,” explains Harris.
Harris built the red meat and poultry abattoirs on the farm fairly recently as he decided to change the slaughtering process to become more humane and based on the systems set up by Dr. Temple Grandin, an internationally recognized authority on humane animal handling and slaughter. The abattoirs were built in 2007 and 2010 using Dr. Grandin’s firm to design the animal handling systems. These facilities are designed to keep the animals calm and the process is done by a trained employee who renders each animal senseless to prevent suffering.In death as in life, White Oak Pastures treats each animal with respect and care, a testament to the farm’s commitment to being an environmentally-sustainable as well as efficient and humane production system.
Certified Organic Produce
As Harris modified his farming and livestock processes, he came to realize that all components of the land had to be taken into consideration, moving him from a monoculture to a poly-culture of multiple species of animals and plants coexisting together to feed and nourish one another. This addition of plants into the equation offered further insight into fully restoring all of nature’s elements.
“I now realize that it is a journey and not a destination. I have to keep changing things back to nature,” explains Harris.
White Oak Pastures now has a four acre certified organic vegetable farm that is a Community Supported Agriculture entity that provides produce both to customers as well as the farm. Every day, vegetables and meat from the farm is used to feed White Oak’s 75 employees.
A Quality Work Environment
White Oak Pastures has 75 full-time employees who enjoy the family environment, dedication to quality and sustainability, and varied work tasks. There is very little turn-over, once an employee comes to work on the farm, they pretty much stay there and recruit more people to come join the team—there are quite a few families that work at White Oak in addition to the Harris family.
There is a great deal of pride in the produce and meat products that are made and each employee receives hands-on training from experienced craftsmen.
“We are blessed to have real craftsmen working here and they train the guys that come in as meat cutting is a real skill. We try to have a high degree of professionalism because we want our employees to take pride in themselves and in the job that they do,” explains Harris.
Efficiency and Sustainability
Will Harris’ hero George Washington Carver said that “in nature there is no waste” and this zero waste principle is the standard under which White Oak Pastures processes are held. In addition to natural procedures like the Serengeti Grazing Model which uses the feeding of different animals to nourish the land, White Oak Pastures also utilizes technology to reuse and recycle each organic and animal byproduct. After the butchering process is complete, all of the blood captured is digested by an aerobic/anaerobic digester to make liquid organic fertilizer, the bones are ground to make bone meal, and non-digestible organs are composted to make solid organic fertilizer that is used on the land.
The farm also has its own water treatment plant that reuses the wash down water from the processing plant to irrigation water. Solar thermal power is also used to heat the large amounts of water used in the processing plants. Finally, the Harris’ installed a 50,000 watt solar voltaic array that converts sunlight into electricity to power the processing plant. Even small details like the animal hides are salted and shipped to a tannery to become leather and plastic and metal is sent to the recycler.
Caring for the Future
Will Harris foresees a future of continuous adaptation as well as expansion for White Oak Pastures. The farm plans to carry on its legacy of sustainable and human food production through its meat and food produce as well as expanding its product offering and influence. Harris wants to build a facility to make value-added products like sausage and pet food. White Oak Pastures is also planning on expanding its operations to have an agri-tourism aspect with a restaurant and tours of the facility. This initiative is being spearheaded by Harris’ youngest daughter, the fifth generation of the family to take up responsible stewardship of White Oak Pastures.
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BusinessReviewUSA.com
Posted: June 20, 2013 by Certified Humane
White Oak Pastures: Responsible Land and Animal Stewardship
Katie Wegner
June 20, 2013
Will Harris, President of White Oak Pastures explains how the farm’s “back to nature” production system makes its meat and produce exceptional
Responsible stewardship is a characteristic that will always precede success, a principle the Harris family of White Oak Pastures has been embodying since 1866 when the family farm was first built by Captain James Edward Harris to raise stock. White Oak Pastures has been a family business for five generations, during which time the Harris family has expanded the farm to include cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, and a vegetable co-op. Will Harris and his two daughters are the latest in the Harris line to run the farm. Will took over the farm during the 80’s when farming methods had become extremely industrialized with a monoculture of cattle at the farm and he followed that model of conventional commodity cattle production until 1997. Harris decided to start running the farm in a more traditional manner that worked in tandem with the processes of nature.
“That’s when we started transitioning back to the farming model of my great-grandfather,” explains Will Harris, President of White Oak Pastures.
Transitioning the farm back has been a long but rewarding process as the White Oak Pastures farm has been rebuilt back to having multiple species of animals grazing on sweet grass free of pesticides and chemicals. White Oak Pastures is the only farm in the U.S. that has both red meat and poultry abattoirs, and these are located on the farm itself. These abattoirs are certified and inspected by the USDA as well as being Animal Welfare Approved.
Harris has done a great deal of research and work to ensure that all of the farm’s processes and facilities are humane and sustainable. White Oak Pastures meat is Certified Grass-Fed and Certified Humane Raised and Handled® by the Humane Farm Animal Care, Animal Welfare Approved, American Grassfed Association, and the Global Animal Partnership. The Global Animal Partnership rates White Oak Pastures cattle as being Step 4 and its chickens as being Step 5, a very high rating and the farm is USDA is certified organic.
Free-Range Livestock
For raising and feeding livestock, White Oak Pastures utilizes the Serengeti Plains Rotational Grazing Model, which allows all of the animals to be raised on open pastures feeding on organic sweet grass. The animals graze in three cycles, first with the cattle grazing on the land, then the sheep following after, and finally the poultry is sent to the land to graze.
“We think it is a great land management system because there are multiple species grazing the land and fertilizing the land in different ways. Also, having different species out there serves as a dead end street for parasites and pathogens which creates remarkably healthy land and animals,” explains Harris.
Harris built the red meat and poultry abattoirs on the farm fairly recently as he decided to change the slaughtering process to become more humane and based on the systems set up by Dr. Temple Grandin, an internationally recognized authority on humane animal handling and slaughter. The abattoirs were built in 2007 and 2010 using Dr. Grandin’s firm to design the animal handling systems. These facilities are designed to keep the animals calm and the process is done by a trained employee who renders each animal senseless to prevent suffering.In death as in life, White Oak Pastures treats each animal with respect and care, a testament to the farm’s commitment to being an environmentally-sustainable as well as efficient and humane production system.
Certified Organic Produce
As Harris modified his farming and livestock processes, he came to realize that all components of the land had to be taken into consideration, moving him from a monoculture to a poly-culture of multiple species of animals and plants coexisting together to feed and nourish one another. This addition of plants into the equation offered further insight into fully restoring all of nature’s elements.
“I now realize that it is a journey and not a destination. I have to keep changing things back to nature,” explains Harris.
White Oak Pastures now has a four acre certified organic vegetable farm that is a Community Supported Agriculture entity that provides produce both to customers as well as the farm. Every day, vegetables and meat from the farm is used to feed White Oak’s 75 employees.
A Quality Work Environment
White Oak Pastures has 75 full-time employees who enjoy the family environment, dedication to quality and sustainability, and varied work tasks. There is very little turn-over, once an employee comes to work on the farm, they pretty much stay there and recruit more people to come join the team—there are quite a few families that work at White Oak in addition to the Harris family.
There is a great deal of pride in the produce and meat products that are made and each employee receives hands-on training from experienced craftsmen.
“We are blessed to have real craftsmen working here and they train the guys that come in as meat cutting is a real skill. We try to have a high degree of professionalism because we want our employees to take pride in themselves and in the job that they do,” explains Harris.
Efficiency and Sustainability
Will Harris’ hero George Washington Carver said that “in nature there is no waste” and this zero waste principle is the standard under which White Oak Pastures processes are held. In addition to natural procedures like the Serengeti Grazing Model which uses the feeding of different animals to nourish the land, White Oak Pastures also utilizes technology to reuse and recycle each organic and animal byproduct. After the butchering process is complete, all of the blood captured is digested by an aerobic/anaerobic digester to make liquid organic fertilizer, the bones are ground to make bone meal, and non-digestible organs are composted to make solid organic fertilizer that is used on the land.
The farm also has its own water treatment plant that reuses the wash down water from the processing plant to irrigation water. Solar thermal power is also used to heat the large amounts of water used in the processing plants. Finally, the Harris’ installed a 50,000 watt solar voltaic array that converts sunlight into electricity to power the processing plant. Even small details like the animal hides are salted and shipped to a tannery to become leather and plastic and metal is sent to the recycler.
Caring for the Future
Will Harris foresees a future of continuous adaptation as well as expansion for White Oak Pastures. The farm plans to carry on its legacy of sustainable and human food production through its meat and food produce as well as expanding its product offering and influence. Harris wants to build a facility to make value-added products like sausage and pet food. White Oak Pastures is also planning on expanding its operations to have an agri-tourism aspect with a restaurant and tours of the facility. This initiative is being spearheaded by Harris’ youngest daughter, the fifth generation of the family to take up responsible stewardship of White Oak Pastures.
Source: http://www.businessreviewusa.com/reports/white-oak-pastures
Category: news